Sachin Tendulkar – Sachin Tendulkar
‘It’s always the batsman’s call’: There’s a question many people ask me: Why don’t I want runs for myself? Why did I use it once in a 24-year career when Virender Sehwag ran for me in a World Cup match against Pakistan? The answer is linked to cricket mythology or tradition which I disagree with. It is said to be a striker’s call when the ball is in front of the stumps and a non-striker’s call when the ball rolls behind the popping crease. I definitely disagree with that.
Wherever the ball is, it depends on the batsman’s call. You know how you pitched, how much power you gave, whether it went in the gap or not, batters know better than anyone else. So, it’s the batsman’s call. Will it beat the short fine-leg fielder or backward square leg? No one knows this better than the batsman. This is the reason why I don’t like runners because I know when there is a run and when there isn’t.
Even in that World Cup match against Pakistan, I ran a few times in that position. I couldn’t run very well. Because I think I am faster than other players. As soon as the bowler bowls, in my mind, I know I’ve played it a couple of times. A runner cannot judge it. This gives me a head start.
Now, let’s take a look at the T20 World Cup which will be played on the vast grounds of Australia. In Australia, the pitches are of different dimensions, some places like Adelaide have long straight boundaries, while others have long square boundaries. If you are willing to run hard and smart, you can do wonders there.
Landing the hood is a skill
In Australia, they’re going to have drop-in pitches and on the sides, maybe thick grass. So there are two surfaces to deal with: the hard surface of the drop-in floor and the smooth one next to it.
Landing the hood is a skill. On smooth surfaces, the pad can get stuck regularly. Even on hard drop-in turf, there’s a way to slide, so it’s important which side the hood lands on.
Compared to the front side, the back of the pad is more prone to snagging, the way the lower edges and the bulkier side of the pad at the back cause imbalance. In such a situation the pad can be lifted. So when you slide back, it’s important that the front of the pad slides into the pitch and doesn’t get stuck.
Batin-face down. If you land with the inside edge of the bat toward the side screen, bat-face down, it is less likely to get stuck anywhere on the pitch.
I will sharpen my spikes
For Australian pitches, I recommend longer full spikes. In fact, I sharpen the nails a bit before batting to make the spikes extra sharp. If the spikes are slightly blunt, they will not go to the surface; The sharp ones go very easily on the hard Australian pitches and it helps to move better. In the outfield, while fielding, soft spikes are fine but while batting, wear sprinters spikes. Small changes like these will work in your favor.
There is also the question of where you are running. Better to run into the corner of the drop-in pitch on both sides. If a left-hander bowls, the non-striker takes the outside line and the striker takes the inside line. The two pads try to find the shortest possible way to cross. This understanding must be in place before both face the first ball; They should know their assigned areas.
Don’t say ‘go’, it will hear ‘no’
Even the words we use in calling play an important role. Don’t say ‘go, go’, it’s ‘no, no!’ It’s like asking. So it is better to say ‘yes’, ‘no’, ‘wait’, ‘let’s do a second run’. If you hit the ball through the covers and know there are two, you shout ‘push for two’: that means the first run is obvious, but we’re looking for a possible second from the start.
Of course, in packed stadiums, such as on October 23, a ‘push for two’ call isn’t really going to work. Because your partner won’t hear any of this! Eye contact is important even for the second run. Neither of them can look at the fielders and think ‘Salo hum pak Jayange’. Because it won’t work. A crowd of 100,000 is expected at the stadium on October 23. Calling isn’t going to cut it; Eye contact is very important.
I’ll cradle the hood
How you hold the hood while running is also important. I would cradle the hood in my arms and hold it with both hands, that is, pump my legs and dash across. That pattern is best suited for sprinting with a lower body pre (when you grab the hood with both hands). And you can focus on sprinting. But if you run with the hood hanging down, it can be a hindrance. Proper grip of the hood helps in turning and sliding the hood on the other end. Because you lose track of time.
Quick turnaround is key
Running is not about how fast you run; It’s all about how quickly you can turn around. There are many guys who are very good at sprinting. But cannot slow down, reverse or accelerate again. You should be able to bend down, slide, turn, and move smoothly. If we run 60 meters in a straight line, there are a lot of guys who can beat me comfortably. But beyond 22 yards, they couldn’t beat me because my acceleration was faster than theirs and I would slow down. Turn around and accelerate again. A lot of guys couldn’t do that. Pace is completely different when running between the wickets.
Adjust your partner’s pace
Who is my favorite batsman to run with me? People ask me that. Not so in international cricket. It’s about understanding your partners. And the onus is on the sprinter to understand and adjust to the partner’s running speed, their strengths and weaknesses. You should prepare yourselves as a couple in your mind. There were many who were not so fast, so there was no point in setting up an individual before making sure the other could reach across.
Keep changing the strike
Gautham Gambhir and I did not rotate the strike for nearly 56 minutes in the Test in Cape Town! I played Dale Steyn. He played Morne Morkle. But even then, after one over, I knew it was my turn to play six balls. But in T20s if you don’t get the balls to play an over or two, you start losing your run. It’s a problem, no doubt. Speed may be lost. In cases where there are openers, we see one taking more strikes early on. If you are not careful you lose speed
The outcome of the hazard depends on what is the shortest distance for the fielder to throw. But it depends on which direction it takes the fielder. So risk decision need not always be short range. The other end is maybe 10 yards away. But if the pace of the fielder takes him towards it, the decision becomes easier for him. So he always makes time. Smaller distances may slow him down because he has to throw up. As a thunderbolt, you must observe, take in all this data quickly. Now, with the third referee, every inch, every fraction counts.
In Melbourne, we ran four runs
I remember the moment I scored a century in the Melbourne Test in 1999. In those days, the boundary boundaries were all up to the concrete walls near the stands. I hit Shane Warne off the backfoot. On any other ground, I wouldn’t have seen the ball. It would have been four runs. Here, we had to run hard and as I started the fourth run Ricky Ponting bowled the ball from the boundary. After he bowled! I still made it comfortable because I knew it was impossible to get a flat throw over that distance.
The surface (fast or slow) is important in determining runs. Suppose you push a ball to mid-off. On some surfaces, you can do it all over. In some the ball cannot travel fast.
Awareness of wind is essential
Another important factor to be aware of is the wind factor in Australia. Sometimes, it can be very strong with cross-winds. It becomes more difficult to throw a flat fast throw. You can throw and steal a run. But you must know the direction of the wind. Otherwise you are in trouble. On a tangent, the wind factor in Australia’s vast open fields must also be kept in mind when going for big hits. Otherwise, you may get caught at the border.
I remember moments when batsmen were out, going for a big hit and were caught saying, “Hey yaar, Lakta do jada da (If it had connected, it would have flown). But nahi lagta, dabi do ne get out! Lakta Hai doesn’t matter. Be smart. See if you are hitting with the wind or against it. It comes down to the nature of the batsmen, of course – some are big hitters, some are busy, spin-the-strike batsmen – but even if musclemen take care of running between the wickets, they can make things easier. for themselves. Even in the powerplay, the strategy to cash boundaries is to run. We are playing in October and the pitches may be soft
I was watching the Netherlands game on Sunday. The ball caught and spun. There was lateral movement. When things like this happen, you have to be more positive but make sure you don’t lose too many wickets; There, running between the wickets is useful.
Settle in, play the big shots. Evaluating the pitches will be very important as you will be playing in October. There’s a bit of an unknown there. If you judge the conditions correctly, you know which target you can set or how many runs you can give to the opposition.